a MODEgirl in Paris
by MicheleBelles
Summary: This story picks up at the end of the season finale, "JUMP". Betty makes her choice and decides to travel in Europe, but what will happen from there? This story is about her adventures in Europe. Read it & Review please. More chapters to follow. Gettyfic


**This is a Getty story, just to warn you all. Thanks to all the Getty Girls and their awesome Gio supprt, go check out our board.**

**Thanks Christy for your help, I REALLY appreciate it.**

**Disclaimer: I wish I owned 'em, but Betty, Gio and everyone else at MODE don't belong to me. :(**

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She was falling.

Wind flew past her as she fell, never slowing or speeding up. She just kept falling.

With a gasp, Betty's eyes flew open. She blinked rapidly, scanning the people above her. Disoriented, she squinted. The faces blurred together and seemed to swirl through her sight. Quizzical eyes and worried looks poured down on her. From above she heard a feminine voice ask "Is she all right?" Suddenly, the days events rushed through her, drowning her in their significance.

"I know what to do…" she murmured aloud.

1 Week Later

Betty glanced around the metro station, looking for any indication of track 5. Frustrated, she pulled out her map and scanned the page. She had just left track 3, which was supposed to intersect with track 9, but when she looked up again, all she saw were people hurrying by. No track 9.

_Oh my gosh, what exactly am I supposed to do? I can't just sit here waiting for track 9 to magically appear. Not to mention It's getting late, and I was supposed to be on a train to England right now, _Betty thought. Now she was stuck in France, with the map she used to trust and no one to talk to.

Frustrated, she walked over to a bench and slumped down into it, waiting for her bad luck to change. Ever since she had embarked on this trip, nothing but trouble had followed. She had lost one of her suitcases on the flight over, and was now stuck without her bunny, her pillow, toothbrush, favorite red dress and other clothes. The airline had told her that once her luggage turned up, they would ship it home. But that meant that she was stuck in Europe for a month without important things. At least this trip had not been a waste of money, because Daniel had funded all of it. But still, Betty felt guilty that she was griping about her trip instead of properly enjoying Daniel's generosity.

Betty thought back to the events that had led to her sudden misadventure. After Henry returned to be with his baby's mama, Charlie, Betty began spending more and more time with Gio, the sandwich guy who drove her mad…in more ways then one. She had at first believed that they shared a friendship, nothing more, until one day, while confiding to Gio about her article assignment from Claire Meade, everything changed…

_Betty smiled and grabbed the delicious looking cookie Gio passed her. "I haven't even told anyone yet."_

"_Oh, I'm the first person you've told, huh?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow._

"_Mhmhmm," she mumbled back, slurping her drink._

"_Figures," He replied, a little smirk playing across his face._

_Betty's nose wrinkled up. "What does that mean?" she questioned._

"_You tell me everything" Gio arrogantly replied, his grin widening._

"_No I don't"_

"_Yes you do"_

"_No I don't"_

"_Oh yes you do"_

"_No I don't"_

_Gio smirked. "Oh yes you do. You're always down here, telling me about your day, flirting, ordering sandwiches…"_

"_Uh, it's a __sandwich shop__! And I wasn't flirting…" she countered, the frustration rising in her voice._

"_Oh come on," He sighed, "every time I turn around you're there…" He walked out from behind the counter. "You know, your kinda stalking me a little bit…"_

_Betty threw her hands up in the air. "Uh, WHAT?"_

_He went over to the freezer to grab a drink. "You like me. There's nothing wrong with that, just admit it."_

_Betty blushed, which she tried to conceal with a scowl in his direction "You are insane."_

"_Come on," he stated as he walked towards her, "You'll feel better if you say it out loud." He grinned as he closed the gap between them, "You want me to be your rebound guy."_

_Frustrated and flustered, she rebuked, "I came here for sandwiches and all of a sudden you're my rebound guy? Gio, I just got OUT of a relationsh—"_

_Suddenly, his mouth was on hers. She could feel his lips passionately caress her lips. He clutched her face with both hands, holding her tightly as though she would fall without his support. His lips roamed her mouth, begging to be let in. The shock and surprise that flooded Betty was soon overcome by her desire to kiss him back. She forgot everything and reached up to grasp his arm as she began kissing him back. She moved her body closer and pressed up against him, wanting more. It was perfect. She loved the way he held her strongly, yet so gently as well. His passion was drowning her, and she couldn't think. Then, she suddenly realized she was kissing Gio, sandwich Gio, the very same Gio who constantly infuriated her. She pulled away, forcing him to let her go._

_Betty yearned to embrace him again, but she knew it was wrong. She looked at his lips longingly, then glowered and slapped him. Before either of them was able to comprehend what had just occurred, Betty bolted out of the store and leaned against the wall outside. Her pounding heart resounded in her head, driving her mad. She couldn't suppress the laborious breathing that shook her body. She reached up and touched her lips, shocked by the stinging yet wonderful sensations she was feeling…_

"S'cuse me Madame, but you wouldn't mind showin' me and me friends ze way to Rue Saint Jean?"

A wrinkled face full of scars and missing teeth leered down at Betty, jolting her out of her reverie. Surprised, she looked up and saw two dirty old men staring at her. A quick look around the metro station revealed one sleeping security guard and two passer bys, heading towards track 2. _The last train must have already come_, she realized.

"Uhh… hello there… I am actually waiting for someone, so uh, perhaps someone else can assist you. Sorry…" Betty replied anxiously.

She grabbed up her suitcase and purse and began walking towards the exit, looking around for any possible help. The security guard was still snoring, and since there were no more trains on the way, she was completely alone.

_Great, just what I need, two sketchy guys in a French metro with no one around to help me,_ she thought to herself.

"Hey you! not so fast! Me and ze friend really think you should come with us, you know, show us around ze city," The man hollered as he followed her towards the exit. His buddy trailed along, but seemed more interested in his bottle of chardonnay than Betty. The man who had yelled at her stumbled forward, also clearly inebriated. He tripped over his shoelace and fell, allowing Betty more time to walk away.

She glanced over her shoulder as she hurriedly ran up the stairs towards the dark sky. The friend was helping his fallen buddy up, slurring something in French about her not being worth the time. Betty refocused her attention on climbing the staircase and eventually emerged from the underground entrance, completely out of breath. A taxi cab sat waiting by the curb. Sighing with relief, she rushed towards it, bags in tow. Betty pulled the door open and climbed inside, dragging her bags behind her.

"Please bring me to the nearest hotel, uh…L'hotel, si'l vous plaits, "Betty yelped as she handed the driver 15 Euros. He gave her a bemused look and started driving. As he drove away from the curb, Betty glanced out the rear window. She cringed as she saw the two men emerge from the metro entrance, glaring in her direction. They stumbled around and the started yelling at each other. She turned back to face forward, breathing hard. Betty curled her legs up and rested her chin on her knees. Silent tears rolled down her face.

_This trip was a bad idea,_ Betty thought to herself. _Everything that could go wrong has gone wrong, and I am just not sure how much more of this I can take. I wish I had just stayed at home, instead of trying to find myself out here in Europe. I'll look for airline tickets home tomorrow. I just can't take any more of this._

The cab rolled to a stop in front of a small three story charming hotel with balconies and antique doors. The sight filled Betty with hope. Perhaps her luck was about to change…

Betty thanked the driver and slipped out of the cab. A bellhop rushed over and took her suitcase from the car. He smiled at her and welcomed her. "Bonjour Mademoiselle. Bienvenue a _L'hotel du Sommet_."

Betty nodded in response and smiled weakly. She trailed behind him as he made his way into the hotel. After entering the hotel, she stopped in her tracks. She was in the quaintest little French hotel she had ever seen. The lobby had a small little pond in the corner of the room, with water trickling down from an adorable waterfall. Little plush divans littered the room, inviting her to sit down. Across the room, she spied a spiral staircase leading up to the first floor, and next to it, an old fashion manual elevator. It was so picturesque, as though it had been snatched straight out of a movie.

"Ello, Mademoiselle, welcome to _L'hotel du Sommet_. Would like to check in?" a lovely lady who was clearly the receptionist asked as she walked over to Betty. She smiled welcomingly and shook Betty's hand.

"Uh, yes actually. I don't have reservations but I really need a place for a night or two. Do you have any rooms available? I would really appreciate it," Betty anxiously replied.

"Well, we have a two room suit available, if you are interested. It is rather large though; do you have someone else traveling with you?"

"Oh, well, not really. But I do need a place to stay. Do you have anything else available?"

"I am sorry, but this room is all we have. The others are occupied. Perhaps I could refer you to a motel down the street? It is really small and affordable. Perfect for someone traveling alone…" The lady's voice trailed off…

The last thing Betty needed was to spend a night in a cheap motel by her self. Her day had already been butchered by lost baggage and creepy men. Perhaps a hotel splurge would help make things better. Plus, if Daniel had been here, he would have insisted that she rent the room, no matter the cost. Money never seemed to bother him. He wouldn't be upset if she spent the money he had given her for her trip on a nice hotel room. Gio would comment that her boss spoiled her like a little sister…

_Oh Gio…_ She sighed. She had wasted so many months and tears for Henry and all his baggage, with Charlie and the baby and Tuscan, and nothing had come from it. After she had ended it with him, she had been afraid to move on. She didn't want to be over Henry and Gio scared her too much. Henry was always so safe, warm and predictable. He was consistant, never changing or fluctuating. Gio was the unknown, the fork in the road, the variable that she didn't know if she could handle. He made her feel things she had never felt, but she wasn't sure if she liked it. What if she got hurt again…? That was why she had decided to take this trip on her own. It would give her time to figure out exactly who she was and what she wanted. By the time she came back next month, perhaps she would have an adequate answer for Gio…

"Madame?" the receptionist interrupted her roaming thoughts.

"Oh, sorry, I was distracted… uh, yes, I'll take the room. It should be fine. Just charge it to this card." With that, Betty handed the card Daniel had given her over to the receptionist and waited while the receptionist got her keys.

"Okay, you are in room 308. There is a continental breakfast from 6-9 every morning. My name is Julie, and if you need anything, just call down to the front desk. I hope you enjoy your stay. Jacques will show you to your room." She motioned toward the bellhop who picked up Betty's luggage and brought it towards the elevator.

Betty thanked her and followed him to the elevator. As they rode up to the third floor, she realized that maybe getting this room would be just the thing she needs. Tomorrow was a new day, and hopefully things would turn around.


End file.
